In a move that's bound to stoke Children of Bodom's beloved Hate Crew, the long-running Finnish thrashers have announced their seventh studio album. Entitled Relentless Reckless Forever, the set will once again tout leader Alex Laiho's mastery of his fretboard while plying furiously fast guitar leads around whip-crack drum beats and black metal keyboards.
A post on the group's website explains that the record, which will be released March 8 by Universal, found the outfit working extra hard to make it their heaviest offering yet. Recorded in Finland's Petrax Studios with producer Matt Hyde (Slayer, Monster Magnet), Relentless Reckless Forever continues Children of Bodom's high-intensity blend of "haunting melodies, rhythmic sensibility, guitar-and-keyboard interplay and king-size solos."
"We worked super hard on this album, at least for me it was pretty much no sleep or rest for six weeks," Laiho said in the statement. "But we were determined to make the best COB album ever, so we were willing to do whatever it took."
While the band haven't abandoned their extreme roots, Laiho admits that fist-pumping first single "Was It Worth It?," which the band recently filmed a video for, takes the group into a new direction: party rock.
"The single 'Was It Worth It?' is a total party song," said Laiho. "It's not your typical Bodom sound, but it's one of my favourites and heavy as hell."
While the band have yet to reveal the disc's full tracklisting, an interview in Revolver [via Blabbermouth] notes two other songs on the set will be "Ugly" and the colourfully titled "Pussyfoot Miss Suicide." The latter apparently finds Laiho calling out drama-craving metal queens.
"I've been involved with stupid chicks who were trying to get attention by being, 'Oh, I'm so fucking depressed. I'm gonna slit my wrists with a cheese grater,'" he told Revolver. "And it's so fucking boring, like, 'Just let it go. You're really not gonna do it, anyway.' It's kind of harsh, but it's fuckin' black humour."
While the group will be touring Europe in support of Relentless Reckless Forever, they have yet to announce any North American stops. Check out the tour dates below.
Tour dates:
3/19 Oulu,FIN - Teatria
3/20 Tampere, FIN - Pakkahuone
3/22 Helsinki, FIN - Ice Hall
3/24 Stockholm, SWE - Arenan
3/25 Gothenburg, SWE- Trädgårn
3/26 Oslo, NOR - Rockefeller
3/27 Copenhagen, DEN - Vega
3/29 Hamburg, GER - Grosse Freiheit 36
3/30 Tilburg, NED - O13
4/1 Norwich, UK - UEA
4/2 Manchester, UK - Academy 1
4/3 Glasgow, UK - ABC
4/5 Dublin, IRL - Vicar Street
4/7 Nottingham, UK - Rock City
4/8 Birmingham, UK - Academy
4/9 London, UK - Forum
4/11 Oberhausen, GER - Turbinenhalle
4/12 Pratteln, CH - Z7
4/13 Milan, ITA - Alcatraz
4/16 Athens, GR - Gagarin 205
4/18 Istanbul, TUR - Kucukciftilik Park
4/19 Sofia, BUL - Universiada Hall
4/20 Bucharest, ROM - Arenele Romane
4/22 Budapest, HUN - Petöfi Csarnok
4/23 Munich, GER - Backstage
4/24 Langen, GER - Stadthalle
4/26 Warsaw, POL - Stodola
4/27 Prague, CZE - KD Vltavska
4/28 Vienna, AUS - Arena
4/29 Linz, AUS - Posthof
4/30 Leipzig, GER - Werk 2
5/2 Paris, FRA - Elysee Montmatre
5/3 Bordeaux, FRA - Krakatoa
5/5 Porto, POR - Club Hard
5/6 Madrid, SPA - La Riviera
5/7 Barcelona, SPA - Razzmatazz 1
5/8 Bilbao, SPA - Rock Star Live
5/9 Toulouse, FRA- Le Bikini
5/11 Stuttgart, GER - LKA Longhorn
5/12 Alzette, LUX - Rockhal, Esch
5/13 Enschede, NED - Atak
5/14 Osnabruck, GER - Halle Gartlage
5/15 Antwerp, BEL - Hof Ter Lo
A post on the group's website explains that the record, which will be released March 8 by Universal, found the outfit working extra hard to make it their heaviest offering yet. Recorded in Finland's Petrax Studios with producer Matt Hyde (Slayer, Monster Magnet), Relentless Reckless Forever continues Children of Bodom's high-intensity blend of "haunting melodies, rhythmic sensibility, guitar-and-keyboard interplay and king-size solos."
"We worked super hard on this album, at least for me it was pretty much no sleep or rest for six weeks," Laiho said in the statement. "But we were determined to make the best COB album ever, so we were willing to do whatever it took."
While the band haven't abandoned their extreme roots, Laiho admits that fist-pumping first single "Was It Worth It?," which the band recently filmed a video for, takes the group into a new direction: party rock.
"The single 'Was It Worth It?' is a total party song," said Laiho. "It's not your typical Bodom sound, but it's one of my favourites and heavy as hell."
While the band have yet to reveal the disc's full tracklisting, an interview in Revolver [via Blabbermouth] notes two other songs on the set will be "Ugly" and the colourfully titled "Pussyfoot Miss Suicide." The latter apparently finds Laiho calling out drama-craving metal queens.
"I've been involved with stupid chicks who were trying to get attention by being, 'Oh, I'm so fucking depressed. I'm gonna slit my wrists with a cheese grater,'" he told Revolver. "And it's so fucking boring, like, 'Just let it go. You're really not gonna do it, anyway.' It's kind of harsh, but it's fuckin' black humour."
While the group will be touring Europe in support of Relentless Reckless Forever, they have yet to announce any North American stops. Check out the tour dates below.
Tour dates:
3/19 Oulu,FIN - Teatria
3/20 Tampere, FIN - Pakkahuone
3/22 Helsinki, FIN - Ice Hall
3/24 Stockholm, SWE - Arenan
3/25 Gothenburg, SWE- Trädgårn
3/26 Oslo, NOR - Rockefeller
3/27 Copenhagen, DEN - Vega
3/29 Hamburg, GER - Grosse Freiheit 36
3/30 Tilburg, NED - O13
4/1 Norwich, UK - UEA
4/2 Manchester, UK - Academy 1
4/3 Glasgow, UK - ABC
4/5 Dublin, IRL - Vicar Street
4/7 Nottingham, UK - Rock City
4/8 Birmingham, UK - Academy
4/9 London, UK - Forum
4/11 Oberhausen, GER - Turbinenhalle
4/12 Pratteln, CH - Z7
4/13 Milan, ITA - Alcatraz
4/16 Athens, GR - Gagarin 205
4/18 Istanbul, TUR - Kucukciftilik Park
4/19 Sofia, BUL - Universiada Hall
4/20 Bucharest, ROM - Arenele Romane
4/22 Budapest, HUN - Petöfi Csarnok
4/23 Munich, GER - Backstage
4/24 Langen, GER - Stadthalle
4/26 Warsaw, POL - Stodola
4/27 Prague, CZE - KD Vltavska
4/28 Vienna, AUS - Arena
4/29 Linz, AUS - Posthof
4/30 Leipzig, GER - Werk 2
5/2 Paris, FRA - Elysee Montmatre
5/3 Bordeaux, FRA - Krakatoa
5/5 Porto, POR - Club Hard
5/6 Madrid, SPA - La Riviera
5/7 Barcelona, SPA - Razzmatazz 1
5/8 Bilbao, SPA - Rock Star Live
5/9 Toulouse, FRA- Le Bikini
5/11 Stuttgart, GER - LKA Longhorn
5/12 Alzette, LUX - Rockhal, Esch
5/13 Enschede, NED - Atak
5/14 Osnabruck, GER - Halle Gartlage
5/15 Antwerp, BEL - Hof Ter Lo